Article Library

Decision Making

Industry Articles

Why CIOs Avoid Explicit Tradeoffs... And Why It Hurts Them

CIOs routinely omit the one piece of information executives need most: what is being given up to fund the ask. The executive room reads that omission as incomplete prioritization, and adjusts trust accordingly. The CIOs who declare the sacrifice ... and stand behind the call ... earn a kind of credibility that thorough analysis alone cannot produce.
Scott Smeester
March 2, 2026
READ MORE

What Most CIOs Get Wrong About C Suite Peer Groups

Most executive peer groups reward comfort and validation. CIOs who settle for affirmation over structured confrontation are weakening their decision quality and eroding the political capital they need when it matters most.
Scott Smeester
February 17, 2026
READ MORE

CIO Mastermind vs. Gartner? Why You Don’t Have to Choose.

Already using Gartner? See how CIO Mastermind can turn research into strategic action through peer collaboration, accountability, and implementation support.
Scott Smeester
June 17, 2025
READ MORE

Leadership Blogs

What Leaders Do Differently To Reach Their Outcomes

A goal will fail without a system, and a system will fail without resolve. But we misunderstand how resolve works, and why it is the essential driver between a desire and its fulfillment. Understand the place of resolve, and 2023 will elevate you and your leadership.

Scott Smeester

December 29, 2022

Read More

The Three Priorities CIOs Use In Justifying IT Costs

An evening visit of familiar ghosts teaches the C-Suite a better way to filter budget decisions and cost justification.

Joe Woodruff

December 8, 2022

Read More

When To Leave, When To Stay

I have stayed and left to my regret; I have stayed and left to my reward. I’ve become a bit wiser in knowing which is called for.

Joe Woodruff

November 23, 2022

Read More